None.
Not Applicable.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to wire feeders and, more particularly, wire feeders for bale binding machines.
2. Related Art
Bale forming and binding machines require a feed of a binding wire from a supply source. The means and mode of supply must be compatible with the binding machine as well as the constraints of the operational setting. One such arrangement of a combination wire feeder and bale binding machine is known as U.S. Wire-Tie(trademark) Systems Model 340 Tier System. Specifically, a wire feeder is shown on page 3 of U.S. Wire-Tie(trademark) Systems 340 Series Automatic Wire Tying Head Operating and Maintenance Instructions and Repair Parts List.
There are several difficulties presented by conventional fixed action strapping supply equipment. One difficulty is that a wire feeder has considerable floor space requirements, both for the feeder itself as well as for clearance in its vicinity. Normally, at least some slack in the wire between the wire feeder and the bale binding machine is required for proper operation. Otherwise, if the wire in this section is kept too taut, an increased amount of force is necessary to draw additional wire. This increased force prevents the binding machine from operating properly. If there is too much slack in the wire between the feeder and the baling machine, the wire poses a safety hazard. As the slack wire is drawn into the baling machine, there is a fairly violent and fast acceleration of the wire. This moving wire has the potential to strike operators while the binding machine is operating, and has the potential to strike and damage nearby machinery.
Thus, in the prior art, as wire is drawn from a wire feeder, some slack wire surges horizontally and upwardly from between the wire feeder to the baling machine. Once the slack is gone, the baling machine supplies the requisite force necessary to draw an additional length of needed wire. This additional length is the amount of wire necessary to complete the draw length needed by the baling machine together with the amount necessary to provide a subsequent additional length of wire to the same slackness (making ready to repeat the cycle). Alternatively, when the wire feeder is set the appropriate floor distance away from the baling machine such that no additional amount of wire is necessary to complete the draw length, the additional length is the amount of wire necessary to complete provide a subsequent additional length of wire to the same slackness as before (making ready to complete the cycle). In both situations, the baling machine provides the force necessary to draw a length of wire to create a slack wire segment.
It is in view of the above problems that the present invention was developed. The invention is a wire supply control assembly that supplies wire from a wire feeder to a baling machine. The wire supply control assembly of the present invention reduces the amount of required floor space by drawing the slack upwardly (instead of horizontally as in the prior art). It is the wire supply control assembly that draws the slack upwardly, not the baling machine.
The wire supply control assembly has a wire feeder arm that is pivotally coupled to a wire feeder arm assembly. The wire feeder arm is spring biased to an up position. This higher vertical position creates a length of slack wire equal to at least two times the vertical height of the wire feeder arm.
When the baling machine draws wire, the force of the draw from the baling machine pulls the wire feeder arm downward and makes available the slack created by the formerly vertical position of the wire feeder arm. Once the wire draw is complete, the baling machine ceases to exert drawing force on the wire. In the absence of drawing force, the wire feeder arm moves to its upward, biased position as urged by the spring.